Nancy is the family matriarch: The Boss Lady, Queen Bee, Grand Ma. For a long time, Nancy reigned with great skill and dignity. But a few years ago she began showing her age. Her memory became erratic. She had strange mood swings. She had difficulty organizing her thoughts. Now, she can no longer live on her own … is clearly on the long march down into the valley of Alzheimers. At times she is lucid. At times she makes no sense. Often she misses her children and wants them to stay with her constantly. Sometimes she doesn’t trust them and wants them to leave – NOW. More

Sandi and George were engaged to be married. One evening George failed to show up for their usual dinner date and Sandi began getting a bad vibe. She tried calling him but her messages went to voicemail. A short time later, her phone rang. It was George’s brother. He told her that the police had just contacted him. George had been in a bad traffic accident and was at the hospital undergoing surgery.

Sandi rushed over to the hospital immediately. She waited anxiously for the George to be brought out of the ICU. The hours passed. But he never was taken to the ICU. George died on the operating table.

As you might imagine, Sandi was devastated. They were so good for each other, looking forward to spending the rest of their lives together. Then suddenly, it was over. Just like that, all of her plans and hopes were gone. There was a gaping hole now where once George had been.

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The grief and pain that come with the death of a loved one is a complicated thing. So too, the stress that accompanies any kind of major loss: a job, a relationship, a really good life situation. More